Super Eagles record: Moses Usor does in 4 minutes what Akor Adams needed 17 to achieve

Super Eagles winger Moses Usor needed four minutes to turn his international debut into Nigerian football history, Afrik-Foot reports.

The LASK winger came off the bench in the 61st minute against Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday, replacing Samuel Chukwueze in Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Four minutes later, Usor collected Semi Ajayi’s headed clearance inside his own half, powered beyond two defenders and drilled a low left-footed finish past goalkeeper Geordan Dupire to complete Nigeria’s 2-1 comeback.

His goal erased Akor Adams’ recent Super Eagles record. Adams entered for Tolu Arokodare in the 62nd minute of Nigeria’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Lesotho in Polokwane on October 10, 2025, then scored in the 80th minute after receiving Victor Osimhen’s pass.

Adams waited only 18 minutes to become the fastest Super Eagles player to score as a substitute in a competitive fixture for Nigeria. That milestone has lasted for less than a year as Usor’s four-minute burst is now the new mark, beating Adams’ previous benchmark by 14 minutes.

There was more Super Eagles record set against Madagascar, with Usor once again involved. The 24-year-old attacker joined George Ilenikhena to become the first pair of Nigerian players to score on their senior debuts in the same match.

Ilenikhena’s goal arrived as the equaliser in first-half stoppage time after Madagascar had taken a 16th-minute lead through Ehsan Kari.

From Aghahowa to Usor: Super Eagles’ long line of debut scorers

Usor is the latest name in a record stretching back decades.

The number of Nigerian senior internationals to score on debut is now pegged at 64, with Balogun Teslim opening the roll against Sierra Leone in 1949 and Usor becoming No. 64 in Uyo.

The modern generation includes Julius Aghahowa, who scored against Morocco at the 2000 AFCON; Femi Opabunmi, who struck against Kenya in 2002; Obafemi Martins, who scored against Ireland in 2004; and Stephen Makinwa, who found the net against South Africa.

Ekigho Ehiosun scored against Sierra Leone in 2011, Bryan Idowu struck against Argentina in Krasnodar in 2017, and Joseph Aribo needed only about four minutes to score against Ukraine in Dnipro in 2019.

Paul Onuachu also delivered one of Nigeria’s most explosive debut moments, scoring inside 10 seconds of his first start against Egypt in Asaba in March 2019, although he had made a brief substitute appearance against Seychelles days earlier. That wonder strike remains Nigeria’s fastest senior international goal.

Akor Adams followed in 2025, Femi Azeez scored twice against Zimbabwe in the 2026 Unity Cup, and Ilenikhena and Usor then produced the extraordinary double against Madagascar.